"I wouldn't describe any numerical percentage to any of this…given the magnitude of the challenges that we have, any single thing that we do is going to be part of the solution, not all of the solution," Obama went on to say.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama's opening statement was around eight minutes in length. The question and answer session lasted another 51 minutes. President Obama took questions from 13 different reporters, including CNN's Ed Henry.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama said Monday he would examine a leading senator's plan to investigate allegations of wrongdoing against former Bush administration officials, but was "more interested in looking forward."

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, proposed a "truth and reconciliation commission" to investigate the Bush administration's approval of warrantless surveillance and "alternative" interrogation techniques, which critics have said amount to the torture of prisoners in U.S. custody.

Obama said "nobody is above the law," and that his administration would leave "no doubt" that the United States does not torture and follows the Geneva Conventions - "But generally speaking, I'm more interested in looking forward than looking backwards."

"I will take a look at Senator Leahy's proposal, but my general orientation is to say, 'Let's get it right moving forward,'" Obama said.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama told reporters that pushing for a $800 billion stimulus plan to pump up the ailing economy was not the way he envisioned he would begin his term in the White House.

"Look, I would love not to have to spend money right now. I'd love - you know, this notion that somehow I came in here just ginned up to spend $800 billion... that wasn't how I envisioned my presidency beginning. But we have to adapt to existing circumstances," President Obama told reporters at his prime time news conference at the White House.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The campaign arm of Senate Republicans wasted little time Monday night calling into question President Obama’s commitment to bipartisanship, and took a swipe at him for his stimulus proposal.

Even before Obama’s first primetime news conference came to a close, National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Brian Walsh released this statement:

“President Obama promised change and bipartisanship in Washington, but that’s not what Americans have witnessed in the crafting of this gargantuan spending bill. Despite his rhetoric tonight, President Obama cannot possibly be proud of the final result - a bloated, trillion dollar spending bill crafted in a partisan manner that represents the same wasteful Washington spending and will fall on the shoulders of future generations. Democrats rejected, out of hand, Republican efforts to work together to truly stimulate the economy and address the housing crisis. Unfortunately, this bill is not change, it’s more of the same and Senate Democrats will be held accountable for their growing record of fiscal irresponsibility.”

President Obama and faithful readers of the CNN Political Ticker will soon find out. Obama is heading to the prototypical middle American town on Thursday to talk about... you guessed it, the economy.

It will be a homecoming of sorts as Obama heads to his home state for this event, as well as another in the Illinois state capital of Springfield.

Odds are good that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will join the president on this trip. LaHood, who is playing a big role in helping to sell this economic plan, represented Peoria for seven terms as a Republican congressman.

The United States is looking for opportunities for 'face to face' dialogue with Iran after nearly three decades without diplomatic ties, President Barack Obama said Monday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The United States is looking for opportunities for "face to face" dialogue with Iran after nearly three decades without diplomatic ties, President Barack Obama said Monday, but still has "deep concerns" about Tehran's actions.

"There's been a lot of mistrust built up over the years, so it's not going to happen overnight," Obama said during his first prime-time news conference Monday night.

He said his administration is reviewing existing U.S. policy toward Iran, which supports groups Washington has branded terrorist organizations and has defied U.N. demands to halt its uranium enrichment program.

Despite those concerns, he said his administration wants to use "all the resources at the United States' disposal" to resolve those concerns.

"In the coming months, we will be looking for openings that can be created where we can start sitting across the table face to face," Obama said

WASHINGTON (CNN) –- Tax cuts for the middle class. An extension of unemployment benefits and healthcare coverage for people “who have lost their jobs.” And a pledge to “do whatever it takes to put this country back to work.”

President Obama used his first prime-time news conference Monday to sell Americans on his economic recovery plan as well as pressure Congress to act quickly and approve it so that money can start pumping into the ailing economy.

Obama employed perhaps one of the most powerful tools in his arsenal –- the White House bully pulpit. Every major broadcast and cable outlet carried his opening remarks and the news conference.

The president has a lot of work ahead of him as he tries to convince Americans that this proposal is the appropriate jolt the economy needs. A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll released just hours earlier showed that 54 percent of Americans support the stimulus bill that passed the Senate, while 45 percent oppose it.

President Obama's opening remarks at this evening's prime-time press conference, as released by the White House:

Good evening. Before I take your questions tonight, I’d like to speak briefly about the state of our economy and why I believe we need to put this recovery plan in motion as soon as possible.

I took a trip to Elkhart, Indiana today. Elkhart is a place that has lost jobs faster than anywhere else in America. In one year, the unemployment rate went from 4.7% to 15.3%. Companies that have sustained this community for years are shedding jobs at an alarming speed, and the people who’ve lost them have no idea what to do or who to turn to.

They can’t pay their bills and they’ve stopped spending money. And because they’ve stopped spending money, more businesses have been forced to lay off more workers. Local TV stations have started running public service announcements that tell people where to find food banks, even as the food banks don’t have enough to meet the demand.